{
 "license": "CC BY-SA 4.0",
 "source": "https://opensourceeverything.org/g/messaging/",
 "group": "Messaging",
 "job": "Private messages and group chats on your phone",
 "category": "Communication & social",
 "replaces": [
  "WhatsApp",
  "Telegram",
  "Facebook Messenger",
  "iMessage"
 ],
 "alternatives": [
  {
   "name": "Signal",
   "fit": "full",
   "note": "Needs a phone number to sign up",
   "summary": "Signal is a messenger app for private text messages, group chats, and voice or video calls. It is for anyone who wants encrypted communication on their phone or computer.",
   "license": "AGPL-3.0",
   "licenseClass": "open",
   "kind": "app",
   "code": "github.com/signalapp/Signal-Android",
   "website": "https://signal.org",
   "page": "https://opensourceeverything.org/p/signal/"
  },
  {
   "name": "SimpleX Chat",
   "fit": "full",
   "note": "No phone number needed; smaller network of users",
   "summary": "SimpleX Chat is a messaging app that lets people send private messages and group chats without any user accounts or identifiers. It is for people who want their conversations and who they talk to kept private.",
   "license": "AGPL-3.0",
   "licenseClass": "open",
   "kind": "app",
   "code": "github.com/simplex-chat/simplex-chat",
   "website": "https://simplex.chat",
   "page": "https://opensourceeverything.org/p/simplex-chat/"
  },
  {
   "name": "Delta Chat",
   "fit": "full",
   "note": "Works over email",
   "summary": "Delta Chat is a messaging app for phones and computers that sends chats and files through ordinary email accounts. It lets you reach anyone with email, without relying on a single company's chat service.",
   "license": "GPL-3.0",
   "licenseClass": "open",
   "kind": "app",
   "code": "github.com/deltachat/deltachat-android",
   "website": null,
   "page": "https://opensourceeverything.org/p/delta-chat/"
  },
  {
   "name": "Element",
   "fit": "partial",
   "note": "Friends need Matrix accounts; less polished",
   "summary": "Element is a chat app for private messages and group chats over the Matrix network, used in a web browser or as a desktop app. It is for people and teams who want chat they can host and control, with phone apps offered as separate Element X projects.",
   "license": "AGPL-3.0",
   "licenseClass": "open",
   "kind": "app",
   "code": "github.com/element-hq/element-web",
   "website": "https://element.io",
   "page": "https://opensourceeverything.org/p/element/"
  },
  {
   "name": "Briar",
   "fit": "partial",
   "note": "Android only; for sensitive situations",
   "summary": "Briar is a messaging app that sends private messages directly between phones, using Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or Tor instead of company servers. It is meant for people who need secure communication in sensitive situations, and it can work without internet access.",
   "license": "GPL-3.0-or-later",
   "licenseClass": "open",
   "kind": "app",
   "code": "https://code.briarproject.org/briar/briar",
   "website": "https://briarproject.org",
   "page": "https://opensourceeverything.org/p/briar/"
  },
  {
   "name": "Snikket",
   "fit": "partial",
   "note": "You must run a server for your group",
   "summary": "Snikket is a messaging service you run on your own server, so chats don't depend on a single company. It is aimed at people or groups who want private messaging with a simple setup.",
   "license": "Apache-2.0",
   "licenseClass": "open",
   "kind": "self_hosted",
   "code": "github.com/snikket-im/snikket-server",
   "website": "https://snikket.org/service/",
   "page": "https://opensourceeverything.org/p/snikket/"
  },
  {
   "name": "Tinode",
   "fit": "partial",
   "note": "Small user base; you host the server",
   "summary": "Tinode is a messaging server and set of apps for sending private messages and group chats between people. It is for people or organizations who want to run their own chat service or use an open alternative to WhatsApp and Telegram.",
   "license": "GPL-3.0",
   "licenseClass": "open",
   "kind": "self_hosted",
   "code": "github.com/tinode/chat",
   "website": "https://tinode.co/",
   "page": "https://opensourceeverything.org/p/tinode/"
  }
 ]
}